Bleed Together
by diabolique
Summary: A kind of abstract fic. Aya-chan one-shot. I can't really describe it.


The trees brushed against her body as she ran.

_Faster. Faster_. Her breath coming in small short pants. Pushing her way through the foliage, she ran desperately without direction.

Someone was chasing her. Someone was coming behind her fast, faster than she could run, faster than would give her time to hide.

Desperately she pushed past another low branch, the sound of heavy breathing behind her screeching on every nerve. The forest bled into a myriad of colors – red bleeding into yellows and browns. Flashing by fast, so very fast.

Her lungs ached, constricting such that every breath was another hurdle, making every step a feat of Olympian proportions. Stumbling over the ground, she scrabbled desperately along the bark of the tree to keep herself upright. Something was dragging her down. Something heavy on her back that was pushing her closer and closer to the ground.

_What is it? Why can't I remember anything? Who's chasing me? Someone… anyone… help! Help me!_

The crackle and snap of old twigs made her alert once more. She may not know who was chasing her, but she did know that they were not good. Throwing herself to the side, she instinctively ducked behind a tree. A movement had her snapping her head back to view the spot she had been in just a moment ago. A dark blur shot by, eyes wild and feral.

Holding her breath, she pressed back against the tree trunk, feeling the splinters of wood digging painfully into her back through the thin cotton. Spots danced before her eyes, calling to her to let go, to let herself slide back into the depths of darkness that could bring so much peace.

But she could feel the heaviness of the load upon her back. There was something she was supposed to do. Something important… something … someone needed to be protected. Gathering her strength, she launched herself away from the tree at an angle to the direction her pursuer had taken. With any luck, whatever it was wouldn't notice her until she was far enough away to hide her precious bundle.

Crashing through the foliage again, she cursed the sound her feet made as they trampled on the dry leaves, cracking their fragile stems into dust. The sound carried in the air, seeming magnified to her sensitized ears. She knew it had heard her – the breathing was back again, the sound her feet made eerily echoed by whatever followed her.

The forest seemed to melt around her, swirling in a large vortex until it was all she could do not to be sick. Running without any direction, her throat parched, lips chapped, it circled her like the menace that was looming over her.

_There._

A break in the swirls showed an area covered in shadows – a hidden path that twisted and turned and led into the dark.

Throwing caution to the winds, she ran, knowing in some sane corner of her panicked mind that she was running straight into hell. Her shoes skidded and screeched on the rocks as she tried to slow her forward momentum. And then, feeling a pounding running through the ground, she turned just in time to see a blur race out of the swirl of colors and head straight at her.

Everything seemed to slow down in that one moment.

Red…black…its eyes…yellow… leaves snapping beneath their feet…green bleeding into the ground…brown…red…black…yellow…

And then it hit her.

Landed against her chest, snarling, eyes locked onto hers, its momentum sending her tumbling into the shadows surrounding the path, her head hitting the ground, bundle slipping from her back.

_No!_

And then suddenly she was outside the house again. Single storied with its red tile roof and pretty wicker furniture sitting out on the porch. The screen door flapped with the breeze and slammed invitingly. She knew if she walked through that front door, she would find everything just as she had left it.

Sanctuary.

Almost disbelievingly she passed through the gate and up the three steps, her heart beating away at a mile a minute. Her breathing evened out slowly as she started in rapt fascination at the scene before her – even the cushion cover still had the stain from when she had dropped juice on it when she last sat down.

Her fingers moved to trace the edges of the faintly yellowed stain.

Yellow… red… brown…black… swirling… trapping her… 

Jerking her hand back she tried to hold on to the memories flooding her mind. The sensation of menace was back again, burrowing deeply into her subconscious, eating away at her until her breath was once again coming in short pants, her eyes darting frantically to each side. This place couldn't be the same. She knew that, felt it down in her bones.

The wind began to whisper along, throwing her hair into her eyes, caressing her neck. A faint under tang of ice ran along its edges making her shiver. It seemed to whisper to her of a coming dread, holding her hostage within her own terror. A shaking hand pulled the hair out of her eyes causing her to start before realizing that it was her own.

Turning her back to the doorway at which she stood, she looked back towards the gate. And what she saw made her pause.

A man. His hair moving in the same wind that was pushing against her hair, whispering against his face. There was something faintly familiar about him, some hidden memory that was just out of her reach. Her forehead creased as she pushed towards the thought but it darted just out of her reach, taunting her.

He moved slowly but every thing about him screamed at her senses. The whisper of cloth as he moved his hand seemed to cry menace to her overloaded ears.

Something about him called to her. His arm stretched out, palm up, in a gesture that seemed wrong on him somehow. He was calling her to him.

Her feet began to move of their own accord. Her mind screamed at her to get away, to run before it was too late – before she…

Before he…

His face was in the shadows. She could see his hair, could almost feel it as it feathered against his cheek, but his eyes were hidden. His mouth was unsmiling as she stopped suddenly, caught halfway between safety and terror.

Something told her that this man was not all he seemed, that something was wrong – the same sensation she experienced when thinking of the house.

Everything was whirling in her mind.

Red… brown… yellow… black… feral eyes…her head… the shadowed path… the house… stained…everything tainted…

She turned and ran.

And suddenly the bundle was back on her back. Something panted its hot breath on the ice of her neck, almost silently following her terrified footsteps.

The screen door slammed against the side of the house as she hurtled through the doorway. Casting aside the feelings evoked by the sight of the old rocking chair still facing out towards the window, she scrambled up the stairs.

She thought of screaming for help, but knew he was no longer there.

Ignoring the doors that appeared she lunged across the landing and up the last flight of stairs. The thing behind her growled deeply and she whimpered in fear.

Her breath was coming fast – too fast. Everything was swirling. She was on the roof and everything was swirling. Strange how the tiles that seemed such a happy red now looked a scarred brown. Dried blood… dried blood everywhere!

Brown… red… yellow… its breath…run! 

She tried to move but she was frozen in place. It crept closer, fangs bared. The weight around her back moved to her arms.

She looked down and looked into red…

And yellow…

And brown…

And black…

Swirling…

 Then it lunged for her neck and pain ripped through her…

Aya suddenly screamed, the monitors around her going wild.

Her hands reached up to claw at her throat, desperation and panic evident in every move.

Doctors rushed into the room, the orderly on duty looking on curiously from the hallway before the door swung shut.

"Aya? Aya! You have to calm down!" the doctor ordered, desperately trying to hold on to her flailing wrists. "Aya? Shit! Someone get me a god-dammed syringe! Now!"

The nurse on duty backed away, her frightened eyes on Aya's terrified features. Even with her eyes closed, the girl's face betrayed her absolute terror – a sight all the more terrifying for it's utter silence. After that first scream, she hadn't emitted any more sounds, but she fought as though everything in her depended on it.

"NOW!" the doctor roared, causing the nurse to back away even more afraid than before. The second doctor in the room quickly rummaged in the tray the girl held. Moving swiftly, he felt for the vein in the arm that the other was holding steady and inserted the needle.

A minute or so passed before Aya's thrashing eased, her features relaxing back into inertia, body and heart rate stabilizing.

Breathing heavily, the two doctors moved slowly, their limbs somehow weighted now that the moment had passed. Pushing their way through the swinging door, one of them turned back to view the nurse.

He would request a transfer for her tomorrow.  The stupid girl was almost completely frozen, staring with frightened eyes at the now still figure on the bed. If she couldn't handle a coma patient, then she probably couldn't handle…

Sighing wearily, he passed a hand over his eyes. It was late, he was tired and Aya had just scared them all. He would do better to think this through in the morning.

Letting his eyes stray to his patient once more, he noticed the even breathing with satisfaction.

A little dream… that's all it was… 


End file.
